Metal_Brazil
Recruit
- 3
- Jan 12, 2007
My first topic
From:Forgotten Battles of the Second World War
Brazil Goes to War
It is not generally known that Brazil played a role in the Allied victory in World War 2, yet the forces of that country were actively involved in the war against the axis on two different fronts. The story of "Brazil's War" is presented here.
Overview
Since 1930, Brazil had been ruled by Getúlio Vargas, who seized power in the best South American style, with an armed column marching its way to Rio de Janeiro, then capital of the country. The country was seeing the rise of a harsh dictatorship that was to end only after the collapse of the Third Reich.
In 1937 a mock plan was devised inside the Army staff, its intention being to pass off warning of a fictitious plot threatening internal stability, and a repression apparatus was put into action. Thus, a coup d'etat was given inside the other by the murky Vargas. He had a strong inclination for the totalitarian European dictatorships; his chief of staff openly sympathized with the German government, as well as many leading personalities of the country's political life. With the outbreak of the war, Vargas stood for neutrality.
A representative part of the civilian officials working alongside Vargas, however, was profoundly distasteful of these pro-fascist manifestations and so they played an important part on the decision to join the Allies in the fight against Hitler.
During the negotiations between Americans and Brazilians, Vargas managed to gain technical advice from the U.S. to build the Volta Redonda steel mill. Even before the declaration of war on Germany, Brazil had been sending raw materials to Allied nations.
This would be the beginning of an all-out effort, which culminated with the Brazilian Expeditionary Force being sent to fight in Europe.
The Northeastern coast of Brazil was considered the weakest point of a possible invasion of the Americas, which by 1941, with the Axis' successful campaign in North Africa, was justly feared. After summits between Roosevelt and Vargas'
representatives, they both agreed on limited cooperation, and this would include permission for the Americans to establish a massive air base complex in the Northern city of Natal, which would become known as the "Springboard of Victory", bringing constant supplies to the troops in North Africa, and with the Brazilian Army maintaining coastal defenses in the area.
Soon German and Italian reprisals would be heard of. From 1941 to 1943, 32 Brazilian vessels fell victim of U-boats all along the coast, with painful consequences to the national spirit, which eventually led to the declaration of war on Germany and Italy in August 1942, a bold decision for a country such as Brazil, when the outcome of the war was far from predictable.
The first effective military actions were soon to follow, and the fledgling Brazilian Air Force managed constant patrolling of the country's shores.
Brazillian P-40E's on home defense duties
Patrolling was also a task of the Navy, and a part of the fleet escorted convoys along the Atlantic. By 1943, the outmost post occupied by Brazilians was the paradisiacal but unfamiliar island of Fernando de Noronha, 100 km off the coast of Pernambuco.
But this did not fulfill the population's strong desire to take revenge for the casualties in the sunken ships, and as a point of honour, Vargas decided to form the core of an Expeditionary Force in August 1943. This also helped to divert attention from the atrocities committed by the government against those who dared to complain. This course of action was also a result of extensive talks between Roosevelt and Vargas. The Expeditionary Force was also an excellent chance for the Army to catch up with more modern weaponry.
Things are much easily said than done, especially when the Brazilian Army was living on WWI leftovers. The last shot in anger outside the border had been fired in 1870, in the war against Paraguay which started in 1865. Even though the 1932 Revolution, led by the state of São Paulo against the Vargas Government, saw on several occasions some very heavy fighting, in terms of ground operations it involved nothing more than traditional infantry line attacks and trench warfare. In 1943 the combat experience of officers and NCOs was scarcely above nil.
During the 20's and well into the 30's a French military mission was responsible for the formation of officers and the Army's organization, so it closely followed the French doctrine of the 1914-18 war. By 1943 the standard weapons were the 1908 Mauser rifle, Hotchkiss and Madsen machine guns, C-96 and Luger pistols, ZB 26 and Hotchkiss automatic rifles, small mortars and the 75mm Krupp field gun. In 1940 the Army had bought a shipment of infantry weapons from Germany, but it was entirely seized by the British as soon as it left to Brazil by ship.
From the beginning it was agreed by both sides that the organization of the FEB (from now on, Brazilian Expeditionary Force will be referred to by its Portuguese abbreviation, FEB for Força Expedicionária Brasileira) would follow the U.S. Army pattern of multiple 3 units in the infantry division. Once only a single infantry division was hastily build up from an assortment of battalions, it would be the sole member of the FEB. General Mascarenhas de Moraes was nominated to command it, and he duly started working to put the division together, which he got to do only as late as December 1943, typical of Brazilian red tape and lack of quick decision making, if not by his fault, also due to many officers being contrary to direct involvement in the war. Volunteering was opened, reservists called up and conscription intensified.
There were a series of setbacks concerning the early stages of the FEB organization, especially regarding its training stages. It had been previously combined that the 1st Expeditionary Infantry Division (1st DIE, for Divisão de Infantaria Expedicionária), was to be sent to a theater of operations presenting the closest similarity possible to Brazilian climatic conditions. By the time of its birth, the obvious front to send the FEB was North Africa, but the Allies ability to end the war in that theater seemed to top Brazilian enthusiasm. As a result, Gen. Mascarenhas visited the Italian battle fronts early in 1944, since that at least during summer time Italy's climate would not be so hard to withstand for men accustomed to very hot weather, as it was thought by high ranking Brazilian officers. How wrong they were.
Infantry training consisted of every type of warfare possible but mountain warfare, and this was the typical terrain that the Brazilians faced in Italy. For the majority of the troops, training was given to a reasonable degree, but still far from what
average U.S. infantry divisions were used to. All along the FEB campaign, dated tactical mentality would pose a grave hindrance for the FEB riflemen, not because lack of combat experience, which they painstakingly acquired, rather because
sheer incompetence from commanders. This situation was to last until almost the very end of the war. Artillery, reconnaissance and engineering efficiency was satisfactorily achieved without major problems. Coordination between services, though, was still a point to be better worked on; this was done as far as circumstances allowed, even in the field.
The 1st DIE was organized after U.S. standards. The three infantry regiments chosen to form it were units with considerable tradition within the Brazilian Army. They were from different military commands of the country, but came all from about the same region, being uniform in composition as far as quality of the troops go. The wide majority of rank and file were in their early twenties, a number of the field officers were civilian reservists hastily drafted. For Brazilian standards of 1943, health conditions of the troops were above those of the Brazilian Territorial Army. All men sent to fight in Italy were under the "special class" category, but they still left much to be desired since there was a considerable rate of evasion during the conscription stages. Deficiency of health conditions was therefore more a result of simple rush to put the division together than difficulty to find able men. This fact can be compensated by mentioning that after the men were engaged, there were no more than a dozen deserters, and once in Europe, there were a mere two cases of desertion in a force of 25,445 men and women.
It seems like the Brazilian Division managed to maintain some pride in belonging, once they were a very small particle of an Army whose main body was to remain in peaceful shores.
From:Forgotten Battles of the Second World War
Brazil Goes to War
It is not generally known that Brazil played a role in the Allied victory in World War 2, yet the forces of that country were actively involved in the war against the axis on two different fronts. The story of "Brazil's War" is presented here.
Overview
Since 1930, Brazil had been ruled by Getúlio Vargas, who seized power in the best South American style, with an armed column marching its way to Rio de Janeiro, then capital of the country. The country was seeing the rise of a harsh dictatorship that was to end only after the collapse of the Third Reich.
In 1937 a mock plan was devised inside the Army staff, its intention being to pass off warning of a fictitious plot threatening internal stability, and a repression apparatus was put into action. Thus, a coup d'etat was given inside the other by the murky Vargas. He had a strong inclination for the totalitarian European dictatorships; his chief of staff openly sympathized with the German government, as well as many leading personalities of the country's political life. With the outbreak of the war, Vargas stood for neutrality.
A representative part of the civilian officials working alongside Vargas, however, was profoundly distasteful of these pro-fascist manifestations and so they played an important part on the decision to join the Allies in the fight against Hitler.
During the negotiations between Americans and Brazilians, Vargas managed to gain technical advice from the U.S. to build the Volta Redonda steel mill. Even before the declaration of war on Germany, Brazil had been sending raw materials to Allied nations.
This would be the beginning of an all-out effort, which culminated with the Brazilian Expeditionary Force being sent to fight in Europe.
The Northeastern coast of Brazil was considered the weakest point of a possible invasion of the Americas, which by 1941, with the Axis' successful campaign in North Africa, was justly feared. After summits between Roosevelt and Vargas'
representatives, they both agreed on limited cooperation, and this would include permission for the Americans to establish a massive air base complex in the Northern city of Natal, which would become known as the "Springboard of Victory", bringing constant supplies to the troops in North Africa, and with the Brazilian Army maintaining coastal defenses in the area.
Soon German and Italian reprisals would be heard of. From 1941 to 1943, 32 Brazilian vessels fell victim of U-boats all along the coast, with painful consequences to the national spirit, which eventually led to the declaration of war on Germany and Italy in August 1942, a bold decision for a country such as Brazil, when the outcome of the war was far from predictable.
Brazillian P-40E's on home defense duties
Patrolling was also a task of the Navy, and a part of the fleet escorted convoys along the Atlantic. By 1943, the outmost post occupied by Brazilians was the paradisiacal but unfamiliar island of Fernando de Noronha, 100 km off the coast of Pernambuco.
But this did not fulfill the population's strong desire to take revenge for the casualties in the sunken ships, and as a point of honour, Vargas decided to form the core of an Expeditionary Force in August 1943. This also helped to divert attention from the atrocities committed by the government against those who dared to complain. This course of action was also a result of extensive talks between Roosevelt and Vargas. The Expeditionary Force was also an excellent chance for the Army to catch up with more modern weaponry.
Things are much easily said than done, especially when the Brazilian Army was living on WWI leftovers. The last shot in anger outside the border had been fired in 1870, in the war against Paraguay which started in 1865. Even though the 1932 Revolution, led by the state of São Paulo against the Vargas Government, saw on several occasions some very heavy fighting, in terms of ground operations it involved nothing more than traditional infantry line attacks and trench warfare. In 1943 the combat experience of officers and NCOs was scarcely above nil.
During the 20's and well into the 30's a French military mission was responsible for the formation of officers and the Army's organization, so it closely followed the French doctrine of the 1914-18 war. By 1943 the standard weapons were the 1908 Mauser rifle, Hotchkiss and Madsen machine guns, C-96 and Luger pistols, ZB 26 and Hotchkiss automatic rifles, small mortars and the 75mm Krupp field gun. In 1940 the Army had bought a shipment of infantry weapons from Germany, but it was entirely seized by the British as soon as it left to Brazil by ship.
There were a series of setbacks concerning the early stages of the FEB organization, especially regarding its training stages. It had been previously combined that the 1st Expeditionary Infantry Division (1st DIE, for Divisão de Infantaria Expedicionária), was to be sent to a theater of operations presenting the closest similarity possible to Brazilian climatic conditions. By the time of its birth, the obvious front to send the FEB was North Africa, but the Allies ability to end the war in that theater seemed to top Brazilian enthusiasm. As a result, Gen. Mascarenhas visited the Italian battle fronts early in 1944, since that at least during summer time Italy's climate would not be so hard to withstand for men accustomed to very hot weather, as it was thought by high ranking Brazilian officers. How wrong they were.
Infantry training consisted of every type of warfare possible but mountain warfare, and this was the typical terrain that the Brazilians faced in Italy. For the majority of the troops, training was given to a reasonable degree, but still far from what
average U.S. infantry divisions were used to. All along the FEB campaign, dated tactical mentality would pose a grave hindrance for the FEB riflemen, not because lack of combat experience, which they painstakingly acquired, rather because
sheer incompetence from commanders. This situation was to last until almost the very end of the war. Artillery, reconnaissance and engineering efficiency was satisfactorily achieved without major problems. Coordination between services, though, was still a point to be better worked on; this was done as far as circumstances allowed, even in the field.
The 1st DIE was organized after U.S. standards. The three infantry regiments chosen to form it were units with considerable tradition within the Brazilian Army. They were from different military commands of the country, but came all from about the same region, being uniform in composition as far as quality of the troops go. The wide majority of rank and file were in their early twenties, a number of the field officers were civilian reservists hastily drafted. For Brazilian standards of 1943, health conditions of the troops were above those of the Brazilian Territorial Army. All men sent to fight in Italy were under the "special class" category, but they still left much to be desired since there was a considerable rate of evasion during the conscription stages. Deficiency of health conditions was therefore more a result of simple rush to put the division together than difficulty to find able men. This fact can be compensated by mentioning that after the men were engaged, there were no more than a dozen deserters, and once in Europe, there were a mere two cases of desertion in a force of 25,445 men and women.
It seems like the Brazilian Division managed to maintain some pride in belonging, once they were a very small particle of an Army whose main body was to remain in peaceful shores.